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The revolution of 1830 that produced a free and independent Belgium started one evening in the Brussels Opera House. The opera being performed had an aria in which a singer cried, "Far better to die than to live in slavery. Away with the foreigners!" It was the perfect spark: The audience got up, walked into the streets and began the revolution that got rid of the Dutch.

3 Languages, 3 Wines, 3 for $21!

To ignite a revolution with an opera is surprising, but so are many other things in Brussels. Brussels is the headquarters of NATO and home to more than 1,000 international corporations. It is sophisticated and cosmopolitan and, at the same time, filled with historic sites. What's more, the people are helpful, are generally fluent in English and enjoy speaking it with Americans.

Belgium is divided: A line, running right through the center of the country, separates the speakers of Romance languages in the southern part of Europe (such as French) from speakers of Germanic languages in the northern part of Europe (such as Dutch). The fact that most Belgians speak two languages is ever present; even street signs come in both French and Flemish.

The most famous symbol of Brussels is the Manneken Pis, a bronze fountain in the form of a naked boy urinating into a bowl. Constructed in the early 1600s, the statue is said to deliver a central message: The people of Brussels are courageous, they have stood up to oppression and this is their attitude toward oppressors.

In 1746 a group of French soldiers stole the statue. The king of France was in town at the time, and was so annoyed and embarrassed that he had the soldiers arrested and imprisoned. The statue was returned and declared a "Knight of St. Louis" -- which meant all the French soldiers had to salute it.

The king also gave the statue a uniform of gold brocade, an idea that caught on: Today there is a museum with more than 600 costumes for the statue, which is dressed up for special occasions including Carnival, Dracula's birthday, Mozart's birthday and even Elvis' birthday.

The Manneken Pis museum faces out on the Grand Place, one of the world's great squares. It was once the main marketplace for the city, a fact echoed in the names of the streets that lead into the area: Butter Street, Meat and Bread Street, Herring Street. During the 1400s, the Hotel de Ville was built on the square as the center for the local government, and the food market became less significant.

On the first Thursday in July, Grand Place is the site of the Omegang pageant. Over 2,000 costumed participants parade past the king of Belgium. The event dates from 1549, when it was first presented to King Charles V.

By the mid-1500s, Belgium had become the lace-making capital of Europe, with Brussels as the center of the business. More than 10,000 people in the city, mostly young women, were employed in production, and the streets surrounding the Grand Place now contain dozens of shops selling Belgian lace.

Lace making used up so much of the available labor pool, however, that it soon created a shortage of serving maids. This was unacceptable to the wealthy families of Belgium, so a law was passed: Lace could be made only by girls under age 12.

The handiwork of Brussels' lace makers was considered the best -- displaying the finest threads and the most beautiful designs. During the past 100 years, the fashionableness of lace has declined, and today it is but a special-interest item. Fortunately, there's still quite a bit of interesting lace in Brussels.

Brussels has some of the most elegant shopping areas in Europe. One of the most charming, dating from 1847, is just off the Grand Place. Known as the Royal Arcades, it consists of three galleries covered with glass roofs and lined with trendy shops.

If you're just looking, then try the museums. Brussels has dozens of interesting collections and exhibitions, and three of the most interesting are right next to one another. The Museum of Art and History is one of the most significant in Europe -- covering the entire history of art, it offers outstanding examples from almost every period.

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